Yahoo News Enertor shock-absorbing insoles add comfort and may reduce injury
Price: £29.99
Up to 89% more shock absorption compared to nearest competitor
Reduce the impact to your feet, knees and hips
Soft and comfy but with excellent energy return
Endorsed by running deity Usain Bolt, the official choice of England Athletics, and backed by some 20 years of R&D, Enertor insoles certainly have some pedigree. The key tech is Enertor’s PX1 technology, which transmits impact forces horizontally through the insole, reducing shockwaves through the leg to the tune of 89 per cent more than the nearest competitor, according to the manufacturers’ testing.
Reducing injuries
So what’s the big deal about reducing shock? Well, it makes for a comfy run, but more importantly it may stop you getting injured. The manufacturers claim that their tech, backed by testing and testimonials, can combat all kinds of run-related pain and injuries, such as stress fractures, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, shin splints and runners’ knee.
According to Enertor’s testing feedback, for example, 91 per cent of foot pain sufferers reported improvement after using the insoles, while 75 per cent said their plantar fasciitis had ‘healed’.
Of course, it’s impossible to properly put these claims to the test as an individual, all I can honestly report is that I didn’t get injured during the two months I spent running in them. It’s hardly a conclusive scientific test, but for context I was upping my miles significantly after a return from (non-running related) surgery so there was a risk there and I do have some history with Achilles tendinopathy and shin splints in particular. And intuitively, my sense of the ground contact made me feel like there was some protection there.
The comfort zone
What I can certainly testify to is the comfort. There is a tangible softening in the ride when you slip these in. Nothing too ‘squidgy’, just a gentle smoothing of the hard edges of footstrike on hard surfaces. Enertor’s stats peg them at 90 per cent softer than competitor insole brands and after wear-testing I wouldn’t be in a rush to quibble.
Another comfort plus is they’re not too bulky, so don’t push your instep up into the tongue and laces of your shoes as some thicker insoles do (and sometimes no amount of lace-loosening faffing can rectify). And they’re light – 40 per cent lighter than the next best around, say Enertor.
The bottom line
These are suitable for runners with a neutral gait or mild over-pronators, with anything but the highest arches. They slip easily into your shoes in place of the standard insole and the softening effect and added comfort you feel is more pronounced on harder surfaces like pavement and tarmac. I can’t guarantee they offer full immunity from injury but there’s certainly more science than snake oil at play and after two months of wear, with my testing duties done and dusted, I’m still diligently moving them between shoes for my runs.
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